Retired private detective and current seventh grader Steve Brixton has a new career: taking out the garbage on Wednesdays for five bucks a week. But it’s hard to leave the old game behind, and on a train trip down the California coast, Steve finds himself pulled back into sleuthing. Soon he’s in over his head in four feet and eleven inches of mystery involving a fleet of priceless automobiles, a deadly assassin (or maybe just a faulty lock on a sauna door), and a secret train car filled with intrigue. Plus there’s a girl involved, which complicates everything. I mean she’s just Steve’s friend. And really, they barely even know each other. It’s not like they’re boyfriend or girlfriend or anything, okay?

From the Compact Disc edition. Download and start listening now!

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Quotes & Awards

“An amusing addition to the Brixton Brothers
series.”

Booklist

“Barnett’s sly and often silly Hardy Boy parody
chugs along with plenty of laughs and enough honest-to-gosh mystery to please
any lover of boy detective fiction.”

Kirkus Reviews

A 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominee for Best Juvenile Fiction

Listener Opinions

Ratforcekids | 1/31/2014

" This is the third book in the Brixton Brothers Mysteries. The first one is The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity and the second one is The Ghostwriter Secret. Full of mystery and fun adventures. "

Brett | 1/30/2014

" Continues to be a very entertaining send-up of the Hardy Boys & other such antiquated but well-loved mystery series for kids. Mac Barnett's comedy will have adults chuckling as well as kids - but for slightly different reasons. "

Jenn | 1/22/2014

" My 3rd grader loved it! "

Jessica | 1/22/2014

" Not many middle grade novels begin with a hero who is disillusioned, retired and taking out the trash. But that is how we meet Steve Brixton in the third installment of the Brixton Brothers Mysteries. This light-hearted spoof of old mystery books brings us a twelve year-old former detective who no longer wants to play the game. Of course, mysteries can't help but fall in his lap. This one involves car thieves, a train, a young lady (who is NOT his girlfriend!), kidnapping, questionable decision making by our hero, wildly convenient coincidences, lots of danger and occasional puns. If you have read the previous books in the series, you know what to expect. Amusing particularly to kids who have been immersed in the Hardy Boys lore. You will want to start at the beginning of the series as they make several references to previous cases, and the characters and relationships are already well-established. Fun and silly, reminiscent of M. T. Anderson's Whales on Stilts: M.T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales. I found myself laughing out loud a few times while reading this book. "

" Once again, Mac Barnett has written a fabulous book full of interesting twists and cliche detectives (all in good fun of course). Although it's not as good as the first book in the series, it is a fabulous book. "

Cheri | 1/2/2014

" Another audio book that myself and the girls enjoyed. LOL funny! The third in the Brixton Brother's series didn't disappoint us. "

Brianna | 11/11/2013

" I'm not so sure on how I feel about Mac Barnett throwing romance into the mix... they're twelve year old kids, for crying out loud!! "

Lark | 9/20/2012

" I'm not so sure on how I feel about Mac Barnett throwing romance into the mix... they're twelve year old kids, for crying out loud!! "

Brooke | 11/25/2011

" This one was pretty amazing, especially with Steve running on top of the train in a bathrobe, hahaha. :) Even though I don't like parodies all that much, this one was actually fun. I can't wait until #4 comes out! "

Andy | 10/16/2011

" Three books in, this series is just as hilarious. "

Julianne | 9/24/2011

" This book is part of a series about a 12-year-old boy who is a detective. He and his friends board a train to get to San Diego, but another adventure takes them away. It's an OK book, I guess, but not great. "

meg | 8/28/2011

" mac barnett sure knows how the bring the lolz right outta me. at this rate i'll never get tired of the brixton brothers. "

Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens | 8/16/2011

" This is book 3, but you don't have to read the other two first. It's as fun and exciting as a mystery involving car thieves, mysterious girls, and escapades on top of a moving train can be. "

Emyrose8 | 3/27/2011

" Once again, Mac Barnett has written a fabulous book full of interesting twists and cliche detectives (all in good fun of course). Although it's not as good as the first book in the series, it is a fabulous book.
"

Other Titles by Mac Barnett:

About the Author

Mac Barnett is the
New York Times bestselling author of
many books for children, including Extra
Yarn, illustrated by Jon Klassen, which won a 2013 Caldecott Honor and the
2012 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Excellence in Picture Books, and Battle Bunny, his New York Times bestselling picture book written with Jon Scieszka.
He also writes the Brixton Brothers series of mystery novels.

About the Narrator

Arte Johnson is an award-winning narrator and an American comic actor who won an Emmy Award for his role in the television series Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. His audiobook narations have won two AudioFile Earphones Awards, and he placed as a finalist for the Audie Award for best narration in 2003 and 2007.

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